Dishwasha writes: "After reading about the possibility of an earth-link planet "only" 12 light years away, I instantly thought about the possibility of sending an amateur micro satellite. Although such a thing would not reach 12 light years in my lifetime, perhaps the satellite would be a legacy that I could hand over to my children and they to their children, etc. From my perspective, the sooner we start sending out probes in to the universe and the more we send out, the earlier the start we get in exploring the universe beyond just our singular earth perspective.

A fellow co-worker of mine turned me on to the CubeSat standard and apparently there are commercial space companies that will launch CubeSat systems from their payload for a modest fee.

Is anybody in the/. community involved in amateur micro satellite systems? How would I go about getting involved at an amateur level? Are there any amateur user groups and meetups I can join? I have limited background in all the prerequisites but am eager to learn even if it takes a lifetime. Any links to design and engineering of satellites would be appreciated."